


To Slumber by your Side

by ReptileRuler



Category: Shaun the Sheep (Cartoon)
Genre: 4+1, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, M/M, Nightmares, Pre-Relationship, Sharing a Bed, Sick Character, Sleepy Boys, pre-relationship cuddling and snuggling!!!!!, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:13:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24951379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReptileRuler/pseuds/ReptileRuler
Summary: Four times Shaun sleeps in Bitzer's house and one time he doesn't.
Relationships: Bitzer/Shaun (Shaun the Sheep)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 39





	To Slumber by your Side

**1:**

Sometimes the barn just got too crowded. 

Nothing against the flock, of course. They were herd animals, and as such stuck together no matter the circumstances. Sometimes they all cuddled close together, sharing warmth through the cold winter months. Sometimes they spread out, finding their personal favorite spot to sleep in. Shaun didn’t mind sharing sleeping space with his family!

Most times. 

He woke up because of someone snoring way too loudly. It was Shirley, who for some reason had managed to get up to the loft, and now snoozed right next to Shaun. He sighed and turned around, putting a pillow over his head. It almost helped, and he had definitely fallen back asleep by the time one of the twins kicked him in the chin.

Rubbing his injured face, he sat up and glared at the sheep, now sprawled halfway across _his_ piece of hay. Why did everyone decide to sleep on the loft tonight, anyway? Shaun stood up and proceeded to roll the twin to the opposing wall, where he wouldn’t be kicking him or anyone else, for that matter.

He yawned loudly and settled down again, covers pulled to his ears, until… they weren’t. 

_“Baah”,_ he complained and sat up. It was Timmy, this time. The little kid looked so peaceful wrapped up in Shaun’s blankets that he didn’t have the heart to steal them back.

Oh, heck. He’d have to find a different spot for the remainder of the night. Now, if only there weren’t so many darn sheep everywhere…

His eyes fell on his favorite painting of him and Bitzer with their arms around each other’s shoulders. Bitzer… had his entire doghouse to himself. Surely there must be space for one more, if Shaun looked sad enough when explaining his current situation?

-

Bitzer woke up by a gentle yank on his ear. He looked around, seeing nothing, then remembered his sleep mask and took it off. Shaun stood in front of him, clutching a pillow and looking sleepy.

Oh no. Did something happen to the barn? _Where the sheep ok??_

Shaun looked past him into the doghouse and then pointed at the entrance. Bitzer slept with his head outdoors, always ready if he heard something suspicious on the farm. He also liked the fresh nighttime air. But also he was sleepy, and couldn’t figure out what problem Shaun suddenly had with his doghouse. 

Shaun then squeezed in beside him and into the little house. Confused, Bitzer turned around in time to see him slip into in Bitzer’s own bed. The sheep patted the heap of blankets and pillows and sighed contentedly, settling in. What… what was going out? Bitzer barked at his friend and poked at him and pointed towards the door, asking him to go back to the barn.

Shaun let out a whiny “baah” and rolled around, promptly ignoring him.

… Ugh, it was way too late to deal with Shaun right now. Bitzer considered the snoozing sheep in front of him. He wasn’t doing any harm, was he? And Bitzer wasn’t currently using his bed anyway, to maybe he should just…. Go back to sleep, and deal with this in the morning. 

He sighed and ran his hand along Shaun’s fleece once. What a troublemaker. Then he fetched his sleeping mask once again and settled down. Somewhere far off, a cricket started playing.

He fell asleep to the sound of nature and Shaun’s soft snores.

**2:**

One night it rained so heavily that you could barely see the world around you if you stood outside. It wasn’t stormy - no wind or thunder as far as the eye could see. Just rain. Rain pouring down on the farm for all it was worth.

Bitzer closed his door and went to bed while the drops hammered against his roof. His doghouse was warm and cozy, and he felt oddly safe crawling into his pile of blankets. 

He’d barely closed his eyes when someone knocked on the door. Who’d visit at such an hour, in this weather? Maybe the chickens needed to borrow a couple of blankets again. The little hatchlings always got cold at nights like these!

Bitzer sat up and put on his hat, opening the door. Outside stood Shaun under an old umbrella. 

Huh? Bitzer raised an eye ridge. Shaun was already looking past him and at the bed. He wanted to crash here again?? Too bad the bed was taken as Bitzer was not about to get his head all wet and catch a cold. When Shaun still decided to let himself in, Bitzer put a paw on his chest, shook his head, and pointed towards the barn. 

Shaun bleated angrily at him and pushed onwards, entering his house. Bitzer did the only sensible thing - he rushed into his own bed and spread himself as far across it as possible. It was taken! No way was he letting Shaun just steal his bed like that! Shaun looked unimpressed and made a shooing motion at him. 

Suddenly Bitzer felt the entire weight of one tiny sheep falling onto him. He gasped for air and rolled around, pushing Shaun off him. Shaun shoved him and pulled at the blankets he was laying on. Somehow Bitzer found himself lying on one half of the bed with Shaun settling down with his back turned towards him. 

He sat up, staring wearily at the offending sheep. Shaun just curled tighter into himself and let out a little sigh. There really was no reason for him to be here - he probably did this purely to annoy Bitzer! That should be unforgivable.

… And Bitzer should be more annoyed. In fact, he wasn’t even as angry as he pretended to be. He was just a little confused and put off, but he really could not be blamed for that when a sheep came knocking on his door in the middle of the night, stole his bed, and successfully fell asleep in it. It could be a prank, of course, but then Shaun should have pranked him by now… no, it seemed like just wanted to spend the night here. And that wasn’t so bad, if you put it in perspective.

Finally he sighed and lay down. They were close enough that he felt Shaun’s heat against his back, but oddly enough he didn’t mind. It was comforting in the same way the rain hitting the roof was. Nostalgic, maybe? Like a reminder that they had each other’s back when the world was harsh around them. 

He closed his eyes and focused on the comfort of his blankets, the subtle movement as Shaun’s chest rose and fell, the little twitches as the sheep dreamt something or other. He should be annoyed, but he really wasn’t.

In fact, he’d go as far as to say he felt happy.

**3:**

Shaun woke up with a start. His heart beating too fast in his chest, and he struggled to catch his breath for a solid couple of minutes. Once he’d gathered himself, he noted nothing amiss in the barn. His flock slept on peacefully, the night interrupted only by soft snores and the occasional rustling of sheep moving in their sleep. 

Then why was he trembling so much? Why did he feel like something was gonna jump up and attack at any moment? He must have been dreaming. The dream had already escaped his mind, but the feeling was still there - cold, sharp and filling him with adrenaline. 

He’d had nightmares before. They usually came creeping up on him after some adventure that had almost gone wrong. Sometimes they barely had anything to do with what happened, as though his brain just wanted to punish him for all the stupid decisions he made that day. Today in particular had been reasonably calm, but apparently that didn’t stop him from getting a healthy dose of nighttime terrors. 

The barn creaked and he jumped in his bed, looking around fervently. Then he huffed at himself for being ridiculous and settled down again. He felt fragile and jumpy, but tried to ignore it as he closed his eyes. 

Another noise startled him into sitting again, and he breathed heavily, pressing his back against the wall. 

Oh, it was Shirley. The sound came from her moving and touching an old chip bag that no one had bothered to pick up. He was just being silly and skittish for no reason. 

He didn’t want to sleep alone anymore. When he looked around he noticed a distinct lack of places where he could inconspicuously curl up by a flockmate and go back to sleep. He’s end up waking everyone else if he tried. 

Instead, his mind wandered to the other alternative - Bitzer had enough space, and usually didn’t mind unless he was busy. And he wouldn’t make fun of Shaun for this. They’d bicker and tease each other, but he trusted the dog enough that when it mattered, they’d have each other’s backs. 

He stood up and snuck out the back door. The darkness left him nervous and he stayed close to the barn walls until he had to leave it to reach the doghouse. With one final steadying breath, he sprinted the last couple yards. 

Bitzer slept with his head outside again, but Shaun didn’t stop to wake him up. He squeezed past the dog, into the perceived safety of inside. There was barely enough space through the doorway, but if Shaun was a small sheep, and had enough motivation to fit.

Bitzer yelped as he awoke by a hoof to his face. He flailed, trying to grasp the intruder, but only feeling soft fleece before they escaped him. Shaun ignored his frantic barking to claim the bed. Maybe he did feel bad for sneaking in, but the guilt melted away with his anxiety when he melted into the familiar bedding. Mm, this was better. Smelled like safety, felt warm, cozy, quiet…

He felt a light tap on his shoulders and looked up at Bitzer, standing in front of him with his arms crossed. Oh, he looked upset. Shaun had nothing to say to his defense, so he just smiled sheepishly. 

_“Grrrr_ ”, Bitzer growled, and pointed to the door. Nnnnoooooo, he didn’t wanna go back! Bitzer surely wouldn’t be so cruel as to kick him out?! To be sure, Shaun buried himself as deeply in the blankets as he could. 

He heard a sigh come from the rudely awoken dog, and felt something poke him through the blanket. A foot? He curled closer into himself, and shivered at the thought of being made to leave the only place that felt safe at the moment. 

Bitzer kept grumbling and a second later Shaun felt himself lifted by a strong pair of arms. He tensed, thinking he was about to get thrown out. Already bleating a protest, Shaun didn’t expect to instead be scooped into a hug.

With his head against Bitzer’s chest, hearing the steady heartbeat and smelling the familiar friendly scent, Shaun felt himself slowly relax, his shivers dying down. He looked up at Bitzer. The dog still looked annoyed, but there was softness in his eyes when he met Shaun’s gaze, which left him feeling weirdly … small. The angle was somewhat awkward, with Shaun’s legs still wrapped in the covers and him half laying against Bitzer’s chest, but it felt safe and warm.

Eventually he pulled away. He became aware of how silly he’d acted, running out here just because of some bad dream… Bitzer would probably start laughing at him any moment now. 

But he didn’t. Instead, Bitzer gave a small smile and started crawling into the covers beside Shaun. He gestured for Shaun to lie back down and then flopped down beside him with a big yawn. Shaun yawned right back seconds later, causing them both to chuckle softly.

Bitzer patted his shoulder once as if to say “good night”, and turned so that his back was facing Shaun. That was fine though. He could still feel the warmth radiating from him and the sense that if something were to happen, Bitzer would be there to keep them safe.

He closed his eyes, no longer fearing the night. 

**4:**

The farmer had been gone for a couple of days. Family affairs. He had hired a farmhand but they’d turned out to be completely useless, only watching TV and letting Bitzer do all the work. Which he _could_ , of course, but it came at the cost of being unable to keep an eye on the flock and tell them to stop before they did something dangerous.

There was so much to do, that he didn’t notice when Shaun and the flock decided to have a little swim in the pool, and started filling it up with water. The water heater was broken again though, so they had all been hovering by the edge, daring each other to go into the freezing water. Something must have happened, because Bitzer heard a splash and a bunch of sheep bleating hysterically. 

Shaun had fallen into the ice cold water, or maybe been pushed. By the time Bitzer had rushed over and helped him get out, he was shaking like a leaf. He looked shook enough that Bitzer couldn't bear to punish him.

Instead he just gave Shaun a stern talking to while the flock did their best to look innocent. And then they were both off to continue their days. For Bitzer that meant more work on the farm, for Shaun probably to warm up and cause more mischief. 

But several hours later he spotted Shaun looking droopy and lethargic in the corner of the sheep enclosure. 

He walked up and barked a question. Shaun blinked back at him and sniffled loudly, a drop of snot hanging from one of his nostrils. Gross. Looking around, Bitzer spotted the pool, now emptied of water, and started to suspect something awful.

Bitzer put one paw on Shaun’s forehead and realized in exasperation that he was burning up. He must have gotten sick from falling into the freezing water! That’s what happened when Bitzer wasn’t there to keep him on track. He opened his mouth and started to lecture him once again. 

Shaun snorted dismissively and went to stand on his back legs to show that he was fine-

-And promptly fell forward into Bitzer’s arms. 

So that wasn’t a good sign. Neither were the shivers racking Shaun’s body as he groaned and fought to push himself up. Bitzer bit his lower lip. Shaun needed to rest, but the barn was keen to having sheep walking in and out, getting snacks or toys or other stuff they stored in there. That wouldn’t do - somewhere quiet and with less traffic would be optimal.

He looked around for a place to let the sickly sheep recover, and his eyes landed on his doghouse. Well, Bitzer had a lot of work to do, and his home was comfier and warmer than the uninsulated barn anyway.

Bitzer nudged Shaun until he had his attention, and nodded towards the doghouse. Shaun sniffled again and allowed himself to be led towards the house, still leaning heavily against Bitzer.

The sheep all but fell into the bedding, left unmade as Bitzer had been in a hurry that morning to have time for his chores. Turned out that was a good thing then, since now all Bitzer needed to do was throw the covers over Shaun and fluff up the pillow for him.

He met Shaun’s gaze and gave a thumbs up and a raised eyebrow. Shaun nodded and gave him a thumbs-up in return before he closed his eyes and snuggled further into the bed.

Bitzer glanced down at his clock, mentally planning out the rest of the afternoon. He was on schedule, but if he moved some stuff around and herded the flock into the barn early, he could spend the evening taking care of Shaun.

Not that he deserved it. Dumb sheep getting into trouble all the time. 

But deep down, Bitzer worried. And so he nodded to himself and left to finished his work for the day. 

-

Rays from the setting sun shone into the doghouse when Bitzer finally returned. He found that Shaun barely had moved an inch during the few hours he’d been left alone. That was significant, since Bitzer knew from experience that Shaun never stayed still, not even in his sleep. 

Bitzer sat down by the bed and touched his forehead. Still a little warm, but getting better. Soft puffs of air tickled his forearm as Shaun breathed in and out. He looked so peaceful in his sleep, much more like an innocent lamb than the mischievous troublemaker he was. 

His paw wandered up Shaun’s head and out one ear, gently massaging the appendage between his fingers. Shaun sighed in his sleep and leaned into the sensation, and Bitzer scratched more thoroughly behind the ear. 

Sure, he was a troublemaker, but he was also … just so cute. 

A sleepy eye opened and looked up at Bitzer. Shaun bleated softly, wondering what was up. Bitzer shook his head, ‘nothing, really’, and then gestured for Shaun to scoot over. It was _his_ bed, after all, and so he deserved to sleep there too. 

Shaun was sound asleep again by the time Bitzer had wiggled in beside him, but that was fine. After a day of hard work Bitzer wanted nothing but to sleep, himself. He let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth.

Arms circled him without warning and Bitzer tensed slightly. He felt the fur on Shaun’s head tickle his chin as she sheep snuggled close, holding onto him in his sleep. He considered removing the arms to give himself space to at least breathe, but he saw how peacefully Shaun slept and couldn’t help it.

It was comfy, so why would he care? 

**5:**

The loft felt strangely empty, Shaun thought. The past three days he had spent sick, sleeping in Bitzer’s house, and now that he was in his own bed on the barn loft, he just couldn’t get comfortable. No one else had opted to sleep on the loft to top it off, so he had the entire area for himself.

It felt like he could hear his own breath echoing in the vastness around him. No matter how he tossed and turned, it didn’t feel quite right.

Ultimately, he must have dozed off, because the sound of someone clearing their throat startled him awake. He looked up and saw Bitzer hovering around beside the pile of hay that Shaun lay in. 

Had something happened? The only reason for Bitzer to wake him up in the middle of the night would be to get help with something serious, like if there was a hole in his roof or if a scary figure was sneaking around the farm. Suddenly serious, Shaun sat up and awaited the explanation.

Bitzer coughed and shuffled his feet. Shaun noticed then, the blanket and pillow tucked beneath his arm, and he was still wearing his sleeping hat. He would have taken the time to put on his trademark blue hat even in the direst of situations.

Bitzer glanced at the empty space beside Shaun and then met his gaze, looking both nervous and expectant.

Ah.

So Shaun wasn’t the only one struggling to go back to sleeping alone. The realization almost had him laughing, but he stopped only because Bitzer looked fussy enough as it was. Instead, he moved to the side and lifted the edge of his quilt in invitation.

Without hesitating Bitzer crawled into the hay bed beside Shaun. His shoulders stayed tense though, as he settled down. Shaun grinned and elbowed him teasingly. Why so nervous? There really wasn’t any reason - they’d shared a bed for several nights already! And by now it felt almost normal for Shaun to show up at random nights and sleep in the doghouse. 

Bitzer growled half-heartedly at the teasing. They both knew this was different from that. It was one thing for Shaun to go to Bitzer for comfort than it was for Bitzer, the sheepdog, protector of the flock and second in command on the farm, to reach out to Shaun. Not that Shaun minded this, of course. They were equals! Best friends, even. Shaun looked out for the dog as much as Bitzer looked out for him, so this shouldn’t be so weird.

The implication was there, though. For the first time, Bitzer had sought out Shaun a sleepless night, not the other way around. They were entering new territory and no one knew quite what would happen now. Despite teasing a moment ago, Shaun’s chest fluttered and he found himself busy looking at anything that wasn’t the dog lying next to him. The frayed edges of his blanket suddenly looked very interesting. 

As the awkwardness spread Bitzer was the first to snap. He let out a sound of frustration and wiggled deeper into the hay. Shaun eyed him for a moment. His sleeping hat slid over his tightly closed eyes and his arms were crossed. He didn’t look like he was about to fall asleep.

Shaun chewed the inside of his mouth. Then he gathered enough courage to get comfortable right beside Bitzer. He instantly felt his body relax, the familiarity of being close to the dog filling him with a sense of security. He felt warm and happy, despite the butterflies in his stomach. His eyes drifted close as he melted into Bitzer’s side, inhaling his scent. Yes, this was much better. 

Arms slid around him and pulled him even closer. Shaun glanced up and saw Bitzer avoiding his gaze stubbornly. He bleated to grab his attention, and then grinned up at him. Then the nerves got too much and he hid his face in Bitzer’s short fur. 

This was ridiculous. They were being ridiculous! Shaun huffed and then giggled uncontrollably. After a few seconds he felt Bitzer join in, his chest shaking with the laughter. None of them wanted to wake up the the flock though, and soon the quiet giggles turned into them shushing each other repeatedly. 

Shaun sighed contentedly and relaxed into the embrace. Some sense of normalcy had returned with that minor bickering session. He still knew that this was new; that if Bitzer would come to him for midnight support, then that meant something. Maybe things were about to change, but they could deal with that in the morning. No matter what happened, they would face it together, and that was the only thing Shaun really needed to know. 

For now they’d sleep, though.

**Author's Note:**

> Started writing this in like, november 2019. I didn't expect the new season to give us that good Shaun/Bitzer bed sharing content BUT HERE WE ARE.


End file.
